


Now we're even

by Sauffie



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Christmas Magic, Fake Relationship, Just the right amount of angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 05:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13070103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sauffie/pseuds/Sauffie
Summary: Christmas is around the corner, and Harvey’s mum is somehow convinced he’s going to introduce her to his new girlfriend. He is not, but he still wants to tease her. Donna steps in and she does her magic. Everybody has an amazing and surprising Christmas, in true Hallmark movie fashion.





	Now we're even

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FrivolousSuits](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrivolousSuits/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, my dear! I did not exactly follow your prompt, but I hope this is close enough. I had a lot of fun writing it, especially since I haven’t written in ages, and I hope you enjoy it. Gros bisous and Joyeux Noël, as we say in France. xoxo

Harvey’s putting the final touch to an argument he’s due to present in court the next day when the intercome buzzes.

“Harvey,” Donna’s voice breaks the silence. “I’ve got Mrs. Robinson on the line.”

Harvey sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. “Mrs. Robinson” is a code name they have for Harvey’s mother, Lily. He hasn’t heard it in months and, quite frankly, he was fine with it.

“Put her through,” he says after a long pause. It could be important.

“Hello darling,” Lily says before he even has time to officially take the call. “How are you on this fine December day?”

Harvey rolls his eyes and sits back in his chair.

“I’m very good, thank you, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Do I need a reason to call my favorite son?” she replies joyfully and Harvey wants to throw up. He’s never been the favorite son and she knows he knows it.

“Mum,” he sighs. “What do you need?”

“Always so serious…” she says and Harvey can hear her exhale smoke. “I’m calling about Christmas.”

“What about Christmas?”

“Well, I was thinking we could spend it all together, Marcus, Katie, the kids, me and, uh _you_?” she replies expectantly.

“I’m pretty sure Marcus will never want to spend Christmas in New-York and I’m certainly not flying to Florida or Chicago. I’m don’t know about a family reunion anyway, I hate Christmas,” Harvey replies, wondering what’s gotten into her, because she’s never been the family gatherings type.

“Marcus already agreed to come to New-York,” is all he gets as an explanation.

“You asked him before asking me?”

“Actually, he’s the one who proposed we did Christmas together with you in New York City,” she replies.

“Why?” Harvey whines, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He’s trapped. Even if he doesn’t agree to spend Christmas eve or day with them, he won’t be able to avoid seeing them if they’re in New York the for holidays. And he hates Christmas, and he just doesn’t need that kind of hassle in his life right now. He’s got lots on his plate with the firm’s merger he’s trying to prevent from happening.

“Why do we want to spend Christmas as a family?” Lily laughs. “Come on, it’s been years!”

“Last time we spent the holidays together, we ended up not speaking for the better part of the following year, Mum, so I’m not too keen on the idea.”

“That was a long time ago”, she insists. “We’ve all changed. Marcus’s changed, the girls are getting big, you two get on well now, don’t you?”

“I don’t know, Mum, we call each other once or twice a year, we’re okay, I don’t want to jeopardize that,” Harvey replies, as Donna quietly enters his office with a note in her hands.

“Marcus really wants us to be together, Harvey,” Lily says, exhaling smoke again.

“I’ll think about it,” Harvey says, reading the note. It’s not important, but it will still serve as an excuse to hang up. “I have to go now, Mum, I’ve got a call to take.”

“Okay, fine, he’s worried about you,” she says. “He didn’t want to call so he asked-“

“Worried about me?” Harvey laughs.

“He doesn’t want you to spend Christmas alone.”

Harvey takes a deep breath and holds it for a moment as Donna shoots him a weird look. That’s why he hates Christmas. Because it’s supposed to be a family thing and he doesn’t have a family. Not that he would want to have one, he doesn’t know, has never really thought about it, but he can’t help but feel alone as Christmas approaches. And what he hates more than Christmas is people reminding him about why he hates Christmas.

“Who says I’m spending Christmas alone?” he asks, pleased with his quick thinking.

“Oh,” his mum almost whispers. “Finally found someone special?”

“Maybe I have,” Harvey replies. “See? Call Marcus and tell him there is no need to worry, I’ve got Christmas under control. But thanks for offering”, he adds and Donna gives him a quizzing look.

“That’s perfect!” Lily exclaims. “Oh, I can’t wait to meet her, Harvey, I am beyond thrilled for you!”

As usual, she’s not listening, just hears what she wants to hear and in that case she ignored the most important part, the one where he says he doesn’t need nor want to spend Christmas with them. Seems like she wasn’t listening either when he told her he was bisexual, since she automatically assumed he’s seeing a girl.

“I really need to go now,” he sighs. “Call Marcus, tell him I’m doing just fine and thank you for calling.”

“Wait, what’s her name?”

“Mum…”

“All right, sorry,” Lily laughs. “I’ll let you go back to work. Talk to you very soon, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, bye Mum,’ Harvey says and hangs up.

He exhales loudly and looks up at Donna, who is still looking at him weirdly.

“Are you really spending the holidays with you mother?” she asks.

“Of course not!” Harvey scoffs. “And I told her so. I can’t believe Marcus is worried about me because I’m single…” he shakes his head and straightens up. “Thanks for the message,” he adds, pointing at the note Donna just brought. “Could you call Rachel and Mike, please? I need them to do some research for my hearing tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

 

As the evening rolls around, Harvey has managed to wrap his head around the fact that his whole family is going to be in town for Christmas in a week, which means he’s going to have to see them, drive them around town and visit all the places he usually tries to avoid at this time of the year because they’re packed with tourists. He knows he can fight shy of spending Christmas Eve or day with them, but he won’t be able to not meet with them at all. He’s also going to have to buy gifts, at least for the girl, and this is a mission for Donna, she’ll know what a 5-year old and a 7 year-old like.

Speaking of the girls, Marcus’s goofy face pops up on his vibrating cell. News travels fast, he thinks as he grabs his phone, he might as well get this over with.

“Hey Marcus”

“Hey bro!” Marcus all but yells “Congrats! Mum told me you were going to introduce us to your new girlfriend on Christmas?”

“I never said that, Marcus,” Harvey rolls his eyes.

“Oh…” Marcus says and he sounds a bit confused, maybe disappointed even.

“Did you really tell her you were worried about me being alone on Christmas?”

“Oh, come on, she told you?!” Marcus wines. “She wasn’t supposed to. I’m sorry, bro. I did tell her that I was hoping you had found someone to spend the holidays with, because yeah, I think it’s sad, and I always think of you on Christmas day, wondering what you decided to offer yourself,” he laughs.

That elicits a smile from Harvey, as he does indeed splurge on something special for himself every year.

“Well, if you want to know, I haven’t decided yet. It’s a tie between a Cartier watch and a Martirosyan wall sculpture.”

“A what now?” Marcus bursts out laughing and Harvey joins him. “Katie and I are thrilled to see you on Christmas, Harvey,” he adds after a moment.

“I didn’t say I was going to spend Christmas with you, guys,” Harvey replies. “I told Mum I would think about it.”

“Mum is convinced she’s going to meet your new girlfriend, you know? And she’s thrilled. She can’t wait to judge her,” he laughs again. “I’m only half-joking, though,” he adds and marks a quick pause, during which Harvey tries to picture his mum meeting anyone he would be dating. “As long as you’re not alone, it’s fine with me,” Marcus says, his voice full of fondness and Harvey’s heart constricts in his chest. God he hates the holiday period.

“I’ll see you when you’re here, I’ll take the girls to the Coney Island aquarium.”

“They would love that, thanks Harvey,” his brother replies. “See you very soon, then.”

“Bye, Marcus.”

“Bye, bro.”

Harvey hangs up and turns towards to the window. It’s snowing a little bit, it’s not yet all white, but they said it was going to be a white Christmas.

“I think I’m going to go, Harvey,” Donna enters his office. “Unless you need something?”

“You can go, I’m good,” he replies and something pops up in his mind. “Actually, there is something I want to ask you.”

“I’m all ears,” Donna raises an eyebrow.

“You know my family’s going to be in town for Christmas, right?” he asks and Donna nods. “Well, as you heard, I may have insinuated that I wasn’t spending Christmas alone and my Mum’s excited because she thinks I’m going to bring my new girlfriend to the festivities and, I was think-“

“Oh no no no, Harvey, I’m not playing the girlfriend again,” Donna holds up a hand. “Last time was a disaster, you were horrible!”

“Come on, Don’…” Harvey pleads. “I just want to tease my Mum. One afternoon. Please.”

“Nope,” Donna shakes her head. “Seriously, Harvey, I’m not doing it. Plus I’m not even going to be here on Christmas day.”

“What about after Christmas?”

“I said no, Harvey, find someone else to tease your Mum with,” she shakes her head again. “Preferably a man. Now _that_ would drive her crazy.”

“Thank you very much for the help,” Harvey sighs. “I can see that the Christmas spirit hasn’t yet gotten into you.”

“Oh come on, crybaby,” Donna chuckles. “Ask a man, I’m serious. Wait!” she shouts and looks at him with wide eyes and a devilish smile. “Ask Mike!”

“What?” Harvey huffs and clears his throat. He would be lying if he said he had never thought of schemes to spend more time with Mike outside of work.

“It’s a brilliant idea!” Donna claps excitedly. “I had lunch with him the other day and he said he was dreading the holidays, because you know…” she gestures awkwardly and Harvey knows she’s referring to his grandmother’s passing earlier this year.

“I agree that introducing a man to my Mum is a brilliant idea and would definitely be teasing enough, but I can’t ask him that, he’s my… associate.”

“Come on, Harvey. _One afternoon_ ,” Donna wriggles her eyebrow.

“I can’t ask him that, Donna.”

“Sure you can!” she replies, running out of his office. “Let me get him!” she shouts from the corridor.

“Donna, wait!” Harvey shouts back, but she’s either already too far to hear or she won’t listen to him anyway.

 

Mike lets out a loud yawn and he closes his eyes for a moment. They burn and they scratch and right now he’d kill for a nap. But he’s still got a big stack of files to review, books to bookmarks and an argument to review, so sleep will have to wait. Long.

“Hey”, he hears and he jerks his head up.

Rachel’s standing by the doors of the bullpen, carrying a take-out bag.

“I figured you’d be starving,” she smiles and walks up to his desk. “How’s it going?” she asks, pointing at the paper mess.

“I’m getting there,” he replies with a grateful smile when she puts the brown bag down. “I’m not nearly finished, but Harvey will have what he wants by tomorrow morning, even if it means spending the night here.”

“Do you need help with anything?”

“Nah,” Mike shakes his head. “You’ve done your part, now I gotta do mine,” he sighs.

Rachel grabs a chair from another desk and settles next to Mike. She’s about to open the bag when a breathless Donna storms in the room.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” she smiles. “Mike, come with me.”

Mike wants to protest, he wants to tell her that he was about to have dinner, which he completely deserves because he didn’t have lunch thanks to all the work her boss gave him this morning. But he doesn’t, because he senses that it is important, otherwise she would never have bothered to come down to the bullpen, she would have summoned him with a phone call.

“What’s going on?” he asks, buttoning up his jacket and following her quick steps.

“Harvey needs help,” Donna replies.

“Everything all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, but he needs something from you,” she says and nods as the elevator doors close.

 

When they reach the partners’ floor, Harvey’s standing in his office, his back turned to them, hands in his pocket, looking a bit tense. Nothing unusual for him, everything looks all right, indeed.

“Go in,” Donna orders, pushing him through the open door.

Harvey turns around and heaves a long annoyed sigh when he sees them.

“Hey,” Mike says and he clears his throat. “I’m almost done with the research, do you need something else?”

Harvey licks his lips and turns his eyes to Donna, who’s standing behind Mike.

“I don’t know. Donna, do we need anything else?” he asks mockingly as he walks back to his desk.

Donna doesn’t reply, instead she puts her hands on Mike’s shoulders and guides him to the couch where she pushes him down, a bit strongly.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Mike giggles nervously. “Seriously, you’re freaking me out. Does Jessica know?”

“What we’re about to ask you? No, she doesn’t,” Donna replies, sitting down next to him. “As for what you were thinking about, let’s hope she’s still unaware of it,” she adds with a weird smile. “Come on, spill it out, Specter.”

Mike takes a deep breath and turns back to Harvey. He’s visibly thinking, his eyes narrowed and deeply focused on Mike, making him feel even more uncomfortable.

“This is a bad idea, a very idea,” Harvey shakes his head. “Go back to work, sorry about that.”

Mike makes a face and moves to get back up. He doesn’t have time to do so, though, as Donna grabs him by the elbow.

“Do I really need to do everything around here?” she asks, dramatically waving her hand. “Harvey needs a favor,” she announces, hoping Harvey will take it from here.

“It was Donna’s idea,” Harvey objects.

“No, you started it by telling Mrs. Robinson you weren’t spending Christmas alone,” she corrects.

“Okay, who’s Mrs. Robinson and what does it have to do with me?” Mike asks a little harshly. It’s getting very annoying and he’s got at least 3 more hours of work, he doesn’t have time for their little game.

“Mrs. Robinson is Harvey’s mum,” Donna, oblivious to Mike’s frustration, replies with a wink and a smile. “And he needs you to prank her.”

“Me? How?” Mike looks at Harvey, his palms already starting to sweat. From what he’s heard of Harvey’s mum the only time Harvey ever opened up to him in Mike’s apartment after Grammy’s death, she doesn’t seem like the type of woman one would want to prank.

“Come on, Harvey…” Donna sighs. “We don’t have all night.”

Harvey has straightened up in his chair, his eyes are sparkling like they do when he’s figured out something about a case, like when he’s about to smash his opponent in court, he looks ready to spill the beans.

“You know you owe me one, right?” he asks mischievously.

“Just one?” Mike snorts. “For that time you hired me instead of calling the cops on me? Or that time you bribed a security guard when I got busted going through one of our opponents’ archives? Should I go on?”

Harvey smiles proudly. That, right there, the fast-talking, the wit, the wide eyes and this incredibly ~~sexy~~ smart mouth, is exactly why he didn’t call the cops on Mike.

“Fine, you owe me life,” he laughs. “But for now, I just need one tiny favor.”

Mike braces himself, he has a bad feeling about this.

“Go on,” he all but whispers.

“All right,” Harvey clears his throat. “Are you free on Christmas?”

“Depends,” Mike replies, lifting his chin defiantly.

“My mother, my brother and his family are coming over for Christmas,” Harvey explains, suppressing the urge to make a disgusted face. He needs to sell this if he wants Mike to say yes. “And she was bugging me on the phone earlier today, saying it was sad that I was spending Christmas alone. I won’t bore you with the details, but she can be a bit pushy, so I hinted I wasn’t going to be alone.”

“And that’s where you come in,” Donna adds, triumphantly.

“Okay…” Mike murmurs. “I’m not sure what I can do for you, Harvey.”

“I would like to stress out that I first asked Donna and that it was her who said I should ask you, that it would be a perfect prank,” Harvey replies.

“Ugghhh,” Donna rolls her eyes. “Come on already, Harvey, ask him!”

“How would like spending Christmas with the Specters?” Harvey asks and there is something childish in his smile, something hopeful that does something to Mike’s stomach.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at,” he half-lies.

Oh, he’s got an idea. And he hopes he’s right, but he’s not going to say it out loud in case he’s wrong, he wants to hear it from Harvey.

Both Donna and Harvey sigh loudly.

“He wants you to play the boyfriend, Mike. Are you that clueless?” Donna asks.

Mike turns to look at Harvey who looks a bit less confident than he did a minute ago, and that makes Mike feel better. At least he’s not the only one finding this situation nothing less than uncomfortable.

 _Harvey’s boyfriend_. Mike likes the sound of it.

“To prank your mother?” is all he manages to say.

“Yes,” Harvey replies.

“You want to make her believe that you’re gay?” Mike huffs. If his mum is half stuck-up as her son can sometimes be, Mike has to admit this is a pretty good prank.

“Oh no, she already knows I’m bi,” Harvey smiles and Mike’s heart does two flips in his chest. _Harvey’s b_ i. “She just doesn’t believe me, and I never told her about the men I dated. And since I was going to have someone play my _love interest_ ,” he adds and makes a face, “Donna thought it might just as well be a man.”

Mike’s trying to put the pieces together, really trying. Harvey’s family is coming over for the holidays and since he lied and told them he was seeing someone, he needs somebody to pretend to be that someone. And Harvey’s bi, so it could be either a man or a woman. _Right_.

“This is a joke,” Mike laughs and he looks at Donna and then at Harvey. “This is a joke and it’s not funny, I have a lot of work to do!”

“Mike,” Donna places a hand on his knee. “This isn’t a joke, Harvey needs your help.”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way,” Harvey quickly corrects. “Think of it as doing something fun during a really boring holiday. Plus, that way you’ll know everything there is to know about me, since you’re always asking me personal questions.”

Harvey’s not entirely sure this is a good idea, given what he tries very hard not to feel for his associate, but the more he tries to convince Mike, the more he convinces himself, and it’s kind of starting to sound like something he would have fun doing.

“You’re bi?” Mike asks, as if it was the only weird thing about the entire proposal.

“Does that bother you?” Harvey laughs.

“No, uh, I mean,” Mike stammers. “I just, um, never thought, uh…” he clears his throat uncomfortably and Harvey’s laugh gets louder, and Mike bites his tongue because the next words that were going to come out were _“… that I stood a single chance with you.”_

“So, is that a yes?” Donna asks, putting Mike out of his misery.

“I don’t know,” Mike replies, looking about as confused as when his briefcase burst open in the hotel room on the day of their first meeting. “Is this really not a joke? The whole thing, is it serious?”

“It is, Mike,” Harvey replies kindly, feeling the urge to comfort Mike. “But you don’t have to say yes. Just so you have the whole picture, I just need you to show up for one afternoon, meet my bother and mother, pretend that we’re together, be pretty, and then go home.”

Mike should hate it, but he actually loves it when Harvey calls him “pretty”. He wants to ask Harvey how they’re supposed to pretend to be together, what he’s supposed to do, to say, but he doesn’t ask. It’s a lot to process and he already knows he’s going to say yes anyway.

“Okay,” he says and gets up. “I’ll do it. Just text me with the details. I don’t have any plans for Christmas, I’m free whenever you need me.”

Harvey suppresses a satisfied smile; there is nothing he enjoys more than Mike expressing his full devotion.

“Thanks, Mike,” he says with a serious nod.

“And I really hope this isn’t one of your crappy jokes,” Mike says, pointing at Harvey and Donna. “If it is, I swear I will never do anything for either of you ever again, understood?” he threatens with a small smile.

“Scout’s honor,” Harvey says, holding up three fingers.

Mike looks a bit unconvinced, and he looks at them one last time before leaving the room.

“Oh my god!” Donna bursts out laughing after she’s made sure he’s out of earshot. “His face when you said you were bi!”

Harvey shakes his head with a smile. He suddenly feels sad for Mike, who has no family left whatsoever and who just admitted to having no plans for the holidays.

“Good night, Donna,” he says and goes back to his computer.

“You’ll thank me next year,” she winks and walks out of Harvey’s office.

 

* * *

 

 

Harvey’s text arrives 4 days later, on December 23d. It’s short and rather straight-to-the-point: _“Meet me at my place at 10 tomorrow for a briefing.”_

Mike replies with an equally short and straight-to-the-point “ _Okay_ ” and quietly starts freaking out. He was beginning to think Harvey had forgotten or decided that the joke had gone on for long enough, as he hadn’t mentioned it again the days following their bizarre conversation.

It’s actually happening, and unless it is a joke, he’s going to meet Harvey’s mother. Mrs. Specter. The woman who Harvey told him cheated on his dad with numerous men. The woman who makes Harvey’s skin crawl, one of the very few people who manage to unsettle him. And he’s going to meet Harvey’s brother, the one Scottie said Mike reminded her of. And apparently, he’s going to meet them on Christmas day. And apparently it requires a briefing.

Mike spends the day feeling sick with anxiety and regretting his decision. Why on earth did he agree to this crazy plan? How is he going to be able to pretend to be Harvey’s boyfriend when he desperately wants it for real? He has to admit it’s a bit unsurprisingly masochistic.

He goes to bed at 10, exhausted and praying for a quiet night.

 

* * *

 

 

“ _Okay_ ” is all Mike had to say about today’s meeting. He did not ask what to wear, when exactly he was going to meet Harvey’s family, nothing. And that worries Harvey a little. First because he knows Mike’s always worried, that he always has so many questions. Maybe he won’t show up. Maybe he will show up and tell him it’s a crazy idea and bail on him at the last minute. He himself has thought about cancelling the whole thing many, many times since that night in his office.

One the one hand, he’s excited at the prospect of spending time with Mike, of him meeting his family, of having him close to him, pretending they’re together. But on the other hand, he has no idea how’s he going to play this. How are they supposed to pretend to be boyfriends? The one time Donna helped him out of a very new, yet complicated, relationship by pretending to be his girlfriend, it had been easy. Easy to put a hand on her thigh when the other girl was looking at them, easy to share a quick smooch, easy to leave that restaurant hand in hand. Because Donna is his friend and he’s not attracted to her. Doing all this with Mike is going to be completely different, because he’s attracted to Mike, because he works with Mike, because Mike is his associate, because his mother and brother are going to be watching their every move.

So, Harvey’s torn between the excitement and the little voice in his head that keeps telling him it’s dangerous and very inappropriate.

He woke up early this morning, tried to go for a run but didn’t really run at all, got home, took a shower, got dressed and made a coffee pot. It’s almost 10 and Harvey’s stress level is pretty high, even more so for a man who thrives on adrenaline and challenges.

He exhales deeply and all but jumps when he hears the doorbell. _Mike’s here_.

He takes his time answering the door, taking a moment to regain his composure, to take a few deep breaths and clear his throat.

“Hey,” he says with a smile upon opening the door.

“Hey,” Mike replies in a small voice. “Merry Christmas,” he adds with a knowing smile.

He looks tired and slightly disheveled, and as Harvey watches him take off his coat and scarf, he realizes that they dressed very alike, in jeans and black top.

“Harvey Specter in jeans!” Mike exclaims. “Now, I wasn’t expecting that!”

“Mike Ross sans hoodie,” Harvey chuckles. “Maybe you’re not a lost cause after all.”

Mike rolls his eyes with a smile and walks to the living room without hesitation, which serves to calm Harvey’s nerves a bit, at least Mike’s not as stressed as he is. He’s wearing plain jeans, a black turtleneck and black jacket, and he looks every bit like the perfect son-in-law any mother could wish for.

“So,” Mike turns around. “I’m all ears, what do you need me to say and or do?”

“Coffee?” Harvey asks, trying to buy time. He asked for this briefing, but if he’s totally honest, he didn’t really think about what he was going to say to Mike. He just needed to see him before his family arrived.

“Yes, please,” Mike replies and he moves to sit down in the lounge area.

The last time he was here, they were working on a case, there were pages scattered everywhere on the coffee table and they were drinking Harvey’s scotch. It was nighttime and he remembered feeling very at home, very at ease sharing Chinese take-outs with Harvey, bantering, taking breaks from their work to comment on Harvey’s interior. Mike’s not as comfortable right now, though he hopes Harvey cannot see it, because today is very different. What is today anyway? He still has so many questions…

“Here,” Harvey says, placing a steaming cup in from of him on the table.

“Thanks.”

“So,” Harvey clears his throat and Mike pricks up his ears. “My mum’s name is Lily, she lives in Saint Augustine, Florida. My brother’s name is Marcus, he’s two years younger than me and is married to Katherine. We call her Katie,” he quickly adds and Mike wants to smile at that, because it doesn’t sound like his boss at all. “They have two girls, Annie and Rose, they’re great kids, very polite.”

He pauses and gives Mike an expectant look.

“Okay,” Mike nods. “Lily, Marcus, Katie, Annie and Rose. Anything else?”

“I don’t need us to fabricate a backstory, if they ask, I’ll tell them it’s none of their business, and I encourage you to do the same,” Harvey says in a serious voice.

“Okay,” Mike acquiesces. “So we say nothing, like not even how long we’ve been, uh, dat-, um, seeing each other?”

Harvey seems to think about it for a long, too long, moment.

“Fine, how long?” he asks.

“Let’s say 6 months,” Mike replies. “We’ve known each other for a little over a year, 6 months sounds credible. Are we colleagues in this little scenario of yours?” he asks with a playful smile.

Harvey can’t help but smile back.

“I’m afraid I haven’t thought of every little detail, which is why I wanted you to come here before they arrived,” he explains and takes a look at his watch. _30 minutes_.

“Okay, let’s say we’re colleagues, met during an interview a year ago, fell in love instantly and started dating 6 months ago?” Mike offers, realizing he won’t have any difficulty selling the first part of the plot, because it is literally what happened to him.

Harvey laughs and nods his agreement. He can do this. After all, he did meet Mike a year ago, he did fall in love instantly, even if he didn’t realize it immediately.

“What were you going to do for Christmas if I hadn’t asked you to help me prank my family?” he asks, because he needs to change the subject.

“Nothing, really…” Mike replies, his smile quickly fading. “Maybe spend the evening at my grandmother’s nursing home to play backgammon with her friends. A lot of them don’t have family that visits them for the holidays. I will probably go tomorrow and bring my guitar, they love a good classic,” he smiles sadly.

“I didn’t know you played,” Harvey raises an eyebrow.

“Oh, Mr. Specter, there are many things you don’t know about me,” Mike says teasingly.

“I’m sure there aren’t _that_ many things I don’t know about you since you’re always telling me about your life, including way too much unnecessary details.”

“That’s mean,” Mike smiles. “You love my stories, it gives you opportunities to mock me.”

“That’s because you’re always putting yourself in the worst situations!” Harvey laughs. “Starting with the day you decided it was a good idea to smuggle weed for your best friend.”

“Yeah, well, I have to admit it wasn’t my finest hour,” Mike chuckles. “But we would never have met and worked together hadn’t it been for my penchant for danger.”

“Danger?” Harvey mocks. “You can’t-“, he begins to say when the doorbell rings, startling them both. “I guess they’re here,” he announces.

“What? Already?!” Mike exclaims. “I thought they were coming this afternoon, or tonight?”

“And what exactly did you think we were going to do all day until they arrived?” Harvey asks, getting up.

“I don’t know, you tell me, _boyfriend_ ,” Mike wiggles his eyebrows.

Harvey shoots him a half-pointed half-amused look and heads for the door. He might have asked just the right person for the job, as Mike seems to take it very seriously and to be quite comfortable with the whole thing. Now Harvey just hopes Mike’s not going to overplay it, as he always does, because he’s not sure he can handle it.

He takes yet another deep breath and grabs the handle. He can already hear the chatters behind the door and that does nothing for the knot in his stomach.

“Well, hello!” Mike hears a feminine voice coming from the entryway. “We’re a bit early, but since we haven’t had breakfast, we thought we’d buy coffee and bagel and have breakfast here with you!”

Mike hears them entering the condo, he hears the kids greeting their “Uncle Harvey”, he hears Harvey’s brother’s voice, which is very similar to Harvey’s, though a bit deeper. He hears the kisses on the cheeks, the steps, the excitement in the kids’ voice, he hears everything, but he can’t see them yet.

“I already had breakfast,” Harvey says. “And I have a coffee machine, you know?”

“What do you mean, _I_? Is she not here yet?” Lily asks, and she sounds very disappointed.

“Give me your coat and come in,” Harvey replies. “Kids, don’t touch the, um, things, around the house, okay? They’re not toys.”

Mike’s palms are starting to sweat and if there was a backdoor exit, he would have already ran out of here, but he still manages to smile at that. Of course one of the very first things Harvey would tell his nieces is to not touch his art collection.

Lily is the first guest Mike gets to see. She’s taller than he pictured her to be, very elegant, and he can smell her perfume from where he’s standing.

“Hello,” she says, raising an eyebrow, and Mike wonders what Harvey took from his father given the sticking resemblance he bears to his mother.

“Hello, Mrs. Specter,” Mike says, offering his hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Mike.”

She shakes his hand, her piercing brown eyes never leaving his and just like that, she seems to understand who Mike is ~~supposed to be~~. Her eyes light up and she takes a very small step back.

“Nice to meet you, Mike,” she smiles knowingly and shakes Mike’s hand.

“Wait!” Marcus exclaims and literally jumps in front of his mother. “You’re _the_ Mike?”

“I don’t know about that,” Mike chuckles.

“You work with Harvey, right?”

“Yes,” Mike nods.

“Oh my god, Katie, come here!” he smiles broadly. “I knew it!”

Mike smiles awkwardly, not really getting what the hype is about and he looks around the room for help from Harvey. Harvey, who must be hiding, because he’s nowhere to be seen.

“Nice to meet you, Mike,” Katie, Mike presumes, says and shakes his hand. “These monsters are our girls, Rose, she’s 5 and Annie, she’s 7. Girls, say hello to Mike.”

“Hello Mike!” the two girls cheer in unison.

“Hello Rose and Annie, nice to meet you,” Mike smiles as he notices Marcus nudging his wife’s elbow.

Thankfully, Harvey chooses this moment to reappear, and to say he looks stressed would be a serious understatement.

“The introductions have been made, thank you,” Mike says playfully, both to voice his discontent about having literally been thrown in the lion’s den, but also to help him relax.

“Good,” Harvey nods. “Um-“

“We did indeed introduce ourselves and we know Mike’s name,” Lily turns to Harvey. “But I think we’re missing an element of context, here, don’t you think Harvey?”

Harvey gives her pointed look and cocks his head.

“Do you really need me to spell this out for you?” he asks.

“Well, that would have been nice, yes, but you don’t seem inclined to do so, so I guess we’ll move to the living room,” she replies, showing the brown bags she’s carrying.

“I’m starving!” Rose complains.

“Come on, sweetie pie, Grandma got you a hot chocolate,” Lily grabs her hand and guides her to the table.

“Who wants real coffee?” Harvey asks and both Katie and Marcus lift up a hand.

Mike follows them and the rest of the family to the dining area and stops and turns when he feels a hand grabbing his elbow.

“Come with me,” Harvey whispers in his ear and all but drags him to the open kitchen, away from prying ears.

“Everything alright?” Mike whispers as Harvey opens a cupboard.

“Yes,” he turns around and smiles apologetically. “Sorry about just now, I went to put away their coats and then I couldn’t bring myself to come back to the living room.”

“It’s okay,” Mike smiles back. “Handled it like a pro.”

Harvey shakes his head with a smile and hands him a couple of mugs.

“Remember what I told you,” he says. “You don’t have to say anything, especially since my mum seems to have figured it out on her own, pretty quickly if I may say. Just smile and look pretty and your job is done.”

“What if I want to have a little fun?” Mike asks challengingly.

“How much fun are you thinking of?” Harvey says in a low voice.

“I don’t know yet, but since I’m here, I think I deserve to have a little fun. Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you, I think I can count on your brother for that,” Mike laughs.

Harvey looks at him for a moment and exhales sharply.

“Fine,” he says. “But if you do or say anything that I don’t approve of, you’re fired.”

“You mean you’ll break up with me?” Mike smiles teasingly.

“No, I mean you’ll lose your real job as a fake lawyer,” Harvey replies and he grabs the coffee pot.

“Yeah, right!” Mike snorts. “You fought too hard to keep me.”

Oh, he’s right, he fought tooth and nail for Mike and would do it all over again because he loves working with him, it gave his dream job, a job he already loved, another dimension, Mike brought something to his life. Something that was missing, and now he couldn’t see himself being a lawyer without Mike by his side.

“Go, I don’t want them to become suspicious,” he orders, pushing Mike towards the dining room, where, as he feared they would, they’re all looking at them, watching them, studying them.

“So, you guys met at work?” Marcus asks, chewing on a piece of bagel.

“Yes,” Mike answers before Harvey can say anything. “We actually met during an interview, it’s a pretty funny story, because-“

“They don’t need the details, Mike,” Harvey cuts him.

Marcus gives Mike a quizzing look and Mike just rolls his eyes with a smile. He wasn’t about to tell them about the pot and the whole ditching the cops thing, he actually had already made up another funny story in his head.

“When was that interview?” Lily asks. “How long have you two been together?”

“6 months,” Mike and Harvey reply in unison. “Can we change the subject?” Harvey adds in a slightly annoyed tone. “What’s new with you all?”

Marcus proceeds to tell them about his new position as a chef, while Lily and Mike, who are sitting across from each other, embark on a staring contest. She narrows her eyes a little bit, clearly trying to find something in Mike’s eyes, something that might give her clues on her son’s relationship. She doesn’t look totally convinced, and Mike fears she might have guessed about their little game.

“You work together?” she asks after a moment, while the others continue their conversation.

“Yes, he’s my boss, I’m his associate,” Mike replies. “I know what you’re going to say,” he quickly adds. “But we don’t let our relationship interfere with our work. Sure, it’s not really appropriate and certainly not encouraged by our firm’s policy, but we keep a low profile at the office, and if anything, it’s made us stronger, work-wise.”

“If you say so,” Lily smiles politely. “How old are you?”

Mike expected this question.

“I’ll turn 27 next spring,” he replies, because 27 sounds better than 26.

“You look younger,” she laughs softly. “Which is surprising, because Harvey’s always liked his women a bit older than him.”

“I guess he’s different with his men,” Mike replies, raising a teasing eyebrow.

 _His women_. He definitely can tell his mother is still shocked about him being a man when she was expecting a woman, and he’s surprised himself, he never suspected Harvey was bi. He knows about Zoe, Scottie, the various dates he brags about at work, but never once did he hear Harvey mention a guy’s name.

“I guess he is…” Lily says and brings her Starbucks cup to her lips.

Mike decides it’s time to take part in the main conversation, because otherwise he has a feeling it’s going to slip into not Harvey-approved territory.

“Daddy, is Santa going to bring our presents in Uncle Harvey’s house?” the little one asks.

“What do you mean?” Harvey asks, shooting Marcus an alarming look.

“We haven’t checked into our hotel yet, we thought it’d be even nicer to spend the night here, if that’s okay with you of course!”

“I only have two guest rooms and one’s not even a room, it’s got a convertible, but it’s an office, I haven’t got enough space to host you all,” Harvey replies. “And where are your luggage?”

“Don’t worry, Mum said she can sleep with the girls in one room, Katie and I can take the other one.”

“So, you’ve decided that without consulting me?”

“We’re consulting you now, Harvey,” Lily steps in. “But if it bothers you, we’ll go back to the hotel after dinner, they have our luggage.”

“It’s not like that, I mean… I’m not, um, prepared. The beds are not made, nothing’s ready for you,” Harvey replies and Mike thinks it’s cute how his always-put-together boss is stuttering.

“Don’t worry, we don’t need anything, I’ll make the bed”, Lily offers. “If that’s okay with you two, of course,’ she says, looking at Harvey and Mike.

 _You two_. Fuck, if they’re staying over, it means Mike has to stay over too. It means Mike will sleep in his bed.

“It’s okay with us, right babe?” Mike asks with a smile, placing a hand on Harvey’s.

Harvey’s heart stops beating for a second or two and he clears his throat.

“Yes,” he replies, his voice barely a whisper.

He did not see this one coming. At all. Sure, Mike seemed quite confident about the whole thing and he said he wanted to have a little fun, but Harvey surely did not expect him to call him “ _babe_ ”.

“Then that’s settled!” Lily claps. “Lovely! I’ll call the hotel and have them send our luggage here.”

Mike and Harvey exchange a look and Harvey quickly puts his hand away. A gesture that doesn’t go unnoticed by Lily.

 

* * *

 

 

After breakfast, Harvey gives the girls a tour of his condo and they end up playing Uno in one of the guest rooms. Katie and Lily make the beds, while Mike and Marcus spend about an hour looking at Harvey’s huge vinyl collection and making comments. Mike realizes Harvey actually has two collections: one for work and one for home, and they’re very different in terms of genres and music era.

Around noon, when everybody’s back in the living room, Lily offers to cook them lunch, but since Harvey’s fridge and cupboards are empty, he and Mike announce they’re going out for some quick grocery shopping. That will give them all time to digest the last couple of hours.

“That went well,” Mike says as they step out of the building.

“I can’t believe they’re staying at my place…” Harvey grumbles.

“Oh come, don’t be a Grinch!” Mike laughs. “The girls are so happy to be here, it’s heartwarming. Now that’s the Christmas spirit!”

“They better not touch anything while we’re away.”

Mike shakes his head with a smile.

“You know, it’s funny, because it seems like the more you try to be distant and a jerk, the more people love you”, Mike says and instantly regrets the way it sounds, and what it could imply for him.

Harvey gives him a look Mike’s unable to analyze, shakes his head and keeps on walking.

“Seriously, aren’t you having fun?” Mike asks.

“No, but you sure are, _babe_ ,” Harvey replies with a pointed look.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Mike blushes. “I got carried away.”

Harvey doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t look upset, he looks lost in his thoughts.

Yes, Mike is having a lot of fun getting to know Harvey’s brother, who’s a very cool by the way, his mother, his nieces. It helps him understand Harvey better, meeting the woman who raised him, the guy he grew up with, it explains a lot. It’s weird, and he’s always afraid he might say something that would blow his cover, but overall, he’s happy to spend Christmas with Harvey and his family. Also, he’s staying overnight with them, which means sleeping in Harvey’s room. He’s pretty sure he’s going to spend the night on the floor, but he doesn’t mind, it’s well worth it.

“What do you want to eat?” Harvey asks, startling him out of his reverie.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know, what do you want to eat?” he replies, loving how coupley that sounds.

“Come on, help me out…” Harvey sighs, picking up vegetables with a disgusted look.

“I don’t cook very often, apart from my Grandma’s famous Bolognese sauce,” Mike’s heart constricts in his chest at the mention of Grammy.

“Famous, uh?” Harvey smiles at him.

“I’ll have you know they’re delicious and nobody does this sauce like she did. And she passed on her secret recipe to me.”

“Then that’s settled, you cook,” Harvey hands him the shopping basket. “Impress us,” he adds with a challenging smile.

Harvey’s heard of this Bolognese sauce before, from Mike. He’s not dying to taste it, though he doesn’t doubt that he’s going to like it, but he wants to please Mike, do something nice for him, let him share a family recipe for Christmas. Plus, his mum a terrible cook. So he follows Mike through the shop’s aisles, watches him carefully choose his ingredients.

“I’m buying,” Mike holds up a hand when the cashier announces the total.

“No you’re not,” Harvey objects, handing out his credit card.

“I said I’m buying, Harvey,” Mike pushes Harvey’s hand away and the cashier smiles at them. “Here,” he says, handing her his own credit card.

Harvey sighs loudly and fills up a couple of brown bags, much to Mike’s surprise. They’ve been to restaurants, to the coffee and hot-dog cart, but in their year together as colleagues, they’ve never been grocery shopping together and Harvey didn’t strike Mike as the kind of guy who would take care of filling the bags. It’s a small detail, but it says a lot about all the things Mike doesn’t know about Harvey, and he has a feeling this weekend will definitely strengthen their bond.

Harvey grabs the bags and heads for the exit.

“Hey, wait up”, Mike says, putting his wallet in his pocket. “Are you upset because I paid?”

“No,” Harvey replies. “I just hate grocery shopping.”

“You know, if you want to pull the plug on this, we can say I wasn’t feeling well and that I went home or something,” Mike says. “I don’t mind cooking and staying with you guys, your brother’s really nice and they all seem very happy to see you, but if-“

“They’re not happy to see me, Mike, they’re happy to meet _you_.”

Mike rolls his eyes. Either Harvey’s blind or he’s decided to be annoying, because he cannot actually believe that his family isn’t happy to see him. They all seem to love him very much, and to have missed him. He would kill for a family reunion with his own parents and grandparents right now.

“They don’t even know me, Harvey,” Mike says. “They wanted to come here and spend the holidays with you before you told them about me.”

Harvey shrugs and keeps walking at a fast pace and Mike has to run up to him every couple of steps.

“I’m serious, though,” Mike says. “I have to admit the look on your mum’s face was priceless when she saw me. That look alone was worth it, so if you want to tell them the truth and send them packing, send _me_ packing, just say the word and I’ll go home.”

“And spend Christmas Eve alone?” Harvey finally stops and asks.

“That’s what I was going to do anyway.”

Harvey watches him for a moment and then hands him one of the bags.

“Here, hold one, rookie.”

Mike smiles and happily obliges.

“You know, I actually like that nickname,” he says.

“I know you do,” Harvey replies with a warm smile Mike doesn’t see on him often enough. “I’m glad you’re here,” he adds and starts walking again.

Mike suppresses a happy smile, because he is glad he is here too.

 

* * *

 

 

Mike spends an hour in the kitchen area perfecting his sauce, while the family catches up in the living room.

From time to time, Mike stops to watch them interact and he’s pleased to see that Harvey’s relaxing. He smiles a lot, cracks jokes with his brother and sister-in-law, and sometimes casts a discreet glance at Mike, who pretends to be busy cutting or stirring.

They have a late lunch (awesome recipes take time) and the family has nothing but praises for Mike’s dish.

Harvey watches him tell the story about how this recipe was passed on for generations and how he hopes to pass it on to his own kids when the time comes, earning Harvey some not-so-discreet surprised glances from his mum and brother.

After coffee, Lily suggests a stroll in Central Park to digest and take a look at the city’s Christmas decorations.

“Uncle Harvey?” Rose asks, buttoning up her pink coat.

“Yes, Rosie?”

“Where’s your Christmas tree?” she looks around the room with a worried look.

“I don’t have one.”

The little girl puts a hand in front of her gaping mouth and turns to look at her mother.

“But where’s Santa going to put the presents tonight?”

“There doesn’t need to be a tree, sweetie,” Katie smiles. “He’ll just put them right there, in the corner.”

“Nooooooo!” Rose exclaims. “There needs to be a tree, and socks hanging so that he knows we live there!”

“We don’t live here, silly!” her big sister laughs.

“We could get a tree,” Mike offers, rather glad somebody mentioned the tree because he can’t imagine Christmas without it, and he raises a quizzing eyebrow at Harvey.

“Now?” Harvey asks.

“Yeah, why not?” Mike smiles. “We could go get a tree and decorations and set it up together before dinner? What do you think?”

“Guys,” Marcus steps in, “We don’t need a tree, really. Santa is still going to bring presents, don’t worry. Besides, I’m not sure we could find one today, they must have all been sold.”

“Please, dadddyyy!” Rose makes a praying gesture. “Mike, please, can we go get a tree?” she adds, turning to Mike.

Harvey smiles at the scene, because of course Mike’s already part of the family, of course it was no trouble at all for him to blend in and be accepted. That’s one of the things he loves about him; he’s easy going, open, generous and caring. And people see that, they’re naturally drawn to him.

“Well, it’s your Uncle Harvey’s place, he gets to decide,” Mike replies, smiling teasingly. “So, tree or no tree?”

“Fine,” Harvey chuckles. “Let’s go get the biggest tree we can find.”

“Yessss!” both girls scream in unison and they both run to Harvey and wrap their arms around his waist. “Thank you, Uncle Harvey!”

 

* * *

 

 

They’re busy choosing a tree when Harvey receives a text from Donna.

“ _Let me guess? Everybody is already in love with Mike and you’re thinking about where you’re going to hang the mistletoe so you can finally get the only present you’ve asked for? Happy Christmas, Harvey. xoxo”_

Harvey replies that he’s not going to hang anything anywhere, that he already made a concession and agreed to buy a tree. He doesn’t say anything about the present, though, first because he’s not going to dignify that with a response, and second because she’s kind of right. As she always is. Of course she knew, even if she never mentioned anything to Harvey. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about kissing Mike at least once a day since hiring him, but he never gave it too much thought, because it never seemed possible, didn’t seem ethical. But after a day of watching Mike interact with his family, talk to the girls, talk about his Grammy and the kids he plans on having, Harvey could see it become a reality instead of the sad prank that it really is.

He is almost 100% sure that Mike’s bi, he’s not an idiot, he knows that Trevor wasn’t _just a friend_. Mike’s sexual orientation isn’t what made it impossible. They age difference bothers him a bit, their 13 years age gap seems a bit much to handle, they’re not in the same phase of their life. Besides, Mike’s very different from him, he’s laid-back, full of hope, obviously too caring, and Harvey’s afraid it would get on his nerves and that they would not get on well on personal daily basis. Realistically, he knows those are just excuses, because they make a great team, actually have a lot of interests in common and, well, they just _click_.

But Mike has his eyes set on Rachel, and before that there was Jenny, he’s obviously not interested in an old jaded lawyer.

“Harvey,” Mike grabs his elbow, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry,” he says, putting his phone back in his coat pocket.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Harvey nods, as his heart constricts in his chest.

The whole prank thing really was a bad idea, he should never have listened to Donna. It seems silly now, what’s he going to tell his family once the holiday is over? That they broke up? He was sure he was going to have a bad time, at best an okay time, but in the end, he enjoys it more than he would ever admit. He enjoys something that’s not real.

“What about this one?” Mike smiles, pointing at the fluffiest tree in the garden center.

“It’s nice,” Harvey manages to smile back and he looks down at the girls who are grinning at him. “Let’s take it home.”

“Girls, what do you say?” Katie gently scolds them.

“Thank you, Uncle Harvey and Uncle Mike!” they singsong.

Mike nudges Harvey with his elbow and grins teasingly. He wanted to have fun, and it looks like he is having a blast playing the boyfriend and uncle, at least that makes one of them.

 

Harvey pays for tree and over-priced and horribly mismatched decorations (the girls chose them) and asks for the tree to be delivered to his place later in the afternoon.

They walk in the cold for the rest of the afternoon, stopping to look at the nice Christmas displays. Mike buys hot chocolate and chocolate pretzels for himself and the girls and they take funny pictures of their chocolate-covered faces.

“You’re good with kids,” Lily smiles at Mike, as they’re walking a couple of feet in front of the rest of the group.

“I love kids,” Mike replies. “I never had brothers and sisters as I lost my parents when I was a kid, I guess I like the idea of being a big brother.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lily sighs. “So I believe your grandmother raised you, is that why you sound very close to her?”

“I was, yes,” Mike replies somberly. “She passed away 4 months ago…”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” she says with a sad smile. “It’s hard losing loved ones, especially when they’re your parents or guardians. How are you coping?”

“I’m better,” Mike nods. “It’s been hard, but I’ve got great friends, and Harvey’s been here for me, we actually had a memorable night the day of her funeral,” Mike laughs and she shoots him a weird look. “Not _that_ kind of memorable,” he quickly adds. “Let’s just say he was there.”

Lily nods with a smile and they walk in companionable silence for a while. The girls are giggling behind them, and Mike can hear Harvey laugh too. It’s a nice sound he doesn’t get to hear that often.

“I don’t know my son very well,” Lily finally says. “But I’ve never seen him so happy.”

Mike doesn’t say anything because, for the first time in his life, he doesn’t know what to say. Oh how he wishes he wasn’t pretending to be dating Harvey, how he wishes he was really spending his first Christmas with the Specters as Harvey’s boyfriend. Spending the day with them all has made it painfully obvious: they could work. They could be together. He’s having a lovely time with them and actually really likes Marcus and Katie and the girls. But it’s all make-believe and he’s going back as just Mike Ross, Harvey’s associate as soon as the show is over.

“I have to admit I was a little surprised, to say the least, when I saw you in the living room,” she continues. “Harvey told be about, um, his being… He told me. I didn’t really acknowledge it, he’s always liked to try new things,” she explains. “He grew and dyed his hair as a teenager, got his ear pierced, smoked,” she laughs. “He’s always been very curious and I thought… well, I thought he was just being provocative. But he really seems to care about you.”

“Yeah,” is all Mike manages to say.

“Just the fact that he chose to introduce you tells a lot. You’re actually only the second person I’ve met, and the first one was his prom date!” she laughs.

Mike wants to tell her everything. Tell her the truth, the whole truth. That he’s not actually Harvey’s boyfriend, that Harvey wanted to prank her and her other son. And also that he’s in love with Harvey, that he fell in love with him the minute he set eyes on Harvey’s big brown eyes. He really wants to tell her all that, but he doesn’t. He can’t. So instead he smiles back and bites his tongue.

He told Harvey he wanted to have a little fun, well, he got lots of it. But right now he feels sad and maybe a little used.

“We should head home,” he says. “We’ve got a big tree to decorate.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I made a playlist,” Marcus announces as they’re finishing dinner.

The bizarrely decorated tree stands proud next to the fireplace in front of which each of them has put one of their shoes, _in lieu_ of traditional Christmas socks.

“Oh, _please_ , not corny Christmas music…” Harvey sighs.

“Nope,” Marcus shakes his head. “Better yet. I made a playlist of our favorite songs.”

“You don’t know my favorite song,” Harvey huffs.

“Oh really? How about that?” Marcus wiggles his eyebrow and presses on his phone’s screen.

Mike bursts out laughing when _Your Song_ by Elton John starts playing.

“That’s your favorite song?!”

“It was my favorite song when I was _15_ ,” Harvey explains but nobody hears him, they’re all laughing and singing.

“I always knew that under that tough exterior there was a softie,” Mike leans in and whispers in Harvey’s ear, and Harvey narrows his eyes at him, but he can’t help laughing.

 

They end up playing cards together, and Mike discovers that, unsurprisingly, Harvey is a sore loser. So he lets him win every time he can.

Around 11, the girls are starting to fall asleep on the couch and Katie leaves the game to put them to bed.

“I think I’m going to head to bed too,” Marcus announces, yawning. “It’s been a long day.”

“First, we need to put the girl’s presents into place. I’m sure they’ll be up before us tomorrow,” Lily smiles and leaves the room to get the presents.

“Do they still believe in Santa?” Mike asks, clearing up the coffee table.

“Rose still does,” Marcus replies. “I’m not sure about Annie, but I’m guessing she doesn’t anymore, she just doesn’t want to crush her sister’s dreams. Speaking of Santa, Harvey, what did you end up buying yourself for Christmas?”

“This,” Harvey replies, pointing at a colorful art in the corridor.

“Ugh,” Marcus says, making a face. “I’ll just never understand modern art. I’m sure this is more expensive than my house.”

“Probably not,” Harvey chuckles. “But it is pricey.”

“Did you guys get yourselves presents?” Marcus asks.

“No, Marcus,” Harvey quickly replies. “We’re adults.”

“Says the guy who spent a hundred grand on a horrible metal sculpture,” Marcus laughs. “Seriously, Mike, do you like it?”

“I’m not really into art at all, I don’t know anything about it, I couldn’t judge this, um, _thing_ ,” Mike replies.

“Exactly my point!” Marcus laughs and they all join him.

“Shhhh, guys,” Katie whispers. “They’re already asleep.”

“Time to call it a day,” Marcus yawns again. “Merry Christmas, Harvey, and thank you for having us.”

“Thank you from coming,” Harvey smiles and hugs his brother.

“Goodnight guys,” Katie waves. “Goodnight Lily, don’t worry about waking the girls, they’re far gone.”

“Goodnight you two,” Lily replies and she turns to Harvey and Mike. “And thank you to both of you for a lovely day.”

“No problem, Mum,” Harvey nods with a smile.

Mike watches them all retreat to their rooms and for a moment, he thinks about offering Harvey to go for the night and come back early tomorrow. Maybe it would be easier. He’s seen a change in Harvey since they came back from their afternoon stroll. Harvey seems a bit distant with him.

“So,” Mike says. “What do we do now?”

Harvey doesn’t reply instantly. He puts the deck of cards away and turns off the kitchen’s lights.

“I don’t know,” he finally replies. “I know I’ve asked a lot from you today, so if you want to go home, go home. I, uh, I’ll just tell another lie tomorrow, don’t worry,” he huffs bitterly.

“Do you want me to go?”

Harvey licks his lips and inhales deeply. No, he doesn’t want Mike to go, not now, not ever. He feels like the joke’s on him now. He wanted to prank his family, but the biter got bitten.

“I think it went too far,” he replies.

Mike’s heart breaks in his chest, because he agrees with Harvey and because he wishes he didn’t. It did go too far and now he doesn’t want to go back to reality.

“You’re right, I’m going to go, sorry…”

“Mike…”

Mike can’t look at Harvey right now. If he could, he’d just snap his fingers and teleport himself back to his apartment. But he still has to gather his things and take back his fucking shoe from where it’s sitting next to Harvey’s near the fireplace.

“I…” Harvey begins to say.

He wants to say something that will make Mike stay, but at the time, he knows he doesn’t have the right to ask him that. It wouldn’t be fair. But he can’t let him go, he wants him there when the girls are opening their presents tomorrow. He can't possibly throw him out on Christmas night.

“No, I don’t want you to go,” he says, and clears his throat. “Mike, look at me.”

Mike looks up. His face is closed, he looks sad and that breaks Harvey’s heart. It was supposed to be a fucking joke and now they’re both miserable.

“I’m sorry, I should have never asked you that, it was stupid and a huge mistake,” Harvey says, shaking his head slowly. “You were perfect, it worked like a charm, but it’s gone too far, I… I didn’t think it through and now I feel like I’m trapped in our lie.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” Mike replies. “I shouldn’t have agreed, it’s not just your fault. I don’t want to go, I’ve had a great day, they’re all great people, but I…”

He stops and Harvey doesn’t say anything. An awkward silence settles in the room, a stark contrast to the rest of the day.

“I wish it were real,” Mike says and heaves out a long sigh.

He doesn’t care what Harvey thinks or says, he needed to say it. At least now Harvey knows, and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. It was heavy having to live with these feelings for his boss, having to work with him, see him date other women and not say a word about how he was feeling. At least now Harvey knows.

“Me too,” Harvey echoes a moment later.

It takes a minute for those two words to travel to Mike’s brain. And when they finally do, he glances up at Harvey, who is looking at him expectantly.

“My mum told me she was happy for me. Happy that I had found someone like you,” Harvey says, and Mike could swear he’s blushing.

“I’d say she a wise woman,” Mike smiles.

Harvey shakes his head with a smile and takes a step forward.

“Tired?” he asks.

“Drained,” Mike replies. “Your family is exhausting.”

Harvey laughs and takes another step forward.

Mike knows what’s going to happen in another step, and he’s waited a whole year for that moment, but he’s not sure he’s ready for it.

“Tell me we’re not pretending anymore,” he says.

“We’re not.”

“Say it, Harvey, please.”

“We’re not pretending anymore.”

Mike takes a deep breath and closes the space between them.

“Can I still call you babe?” he whispers with a teasing smile.

“Absolutely not,” Harvey replies and he cups Mike’s face with one hand.

“You loved it, admit it.”

Harvey doesn’t reply. He leans in and brings his lips to Mike’s neck.

“Thank you,” he whispers, kissing Mike behind the ear.

“We’re even now,” Mike replies as shiver runs down his spine.

 

THE END


End file.
